West Linn boys swimmers fall to OC

The Lions are competitive throughout the meet before falling 94-70 at Oregon City.

The Lions battled.

The West Linn boys swim team, facing Oregon City in Three Rivers League action on Thursday, Dec. 15, battled in the sprints, battled in the relays and battled everywhere else, too, but in the end, the Pioneers pulled away to win 94-70 at Oregon City Swim Center.

Despite the setback, the Lions remained focused and upbeat about their chances in 2022-23.

“While it’s disappointing that … (we) lost, I’m very excited for the rest of the season,” said West Linn junior Matthew Sexton, winner of the 100-yard butterfly and 100 backstroke, as well as a swimming on one winning Lion relay team. “There’s a lot of potential on the roster this year that I’m eager to see grow and develop as the season continues.”

With the loss, the Lions fell to 0-1 in Three Rivers League action, while the Pioneers improved to 2-0 in the TRL. Next up, West Linn swims against Lake Oswego at Lake Oswego School District Pool at 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5.

While Oregon City ended up taking the “W,” the Lions were in the mix until the day’s final events, getting two individual wins from Sexton and one each from senior Tim Varga and sophomore Eric Golgotiu, as well as winning the 200-yard medley relay.

Sexton teamed with sophomore Jordan Reed, Golgotiu and Varga to take the day’s first event, the 200 medley relay, with a time of 2 minutes, 12.44 seconds.

After that, Sexton won the 100 butterfly with a mark of 59.34, then came back four races later to top the 100 backstroke at 1:03.19.

“I thought it was great, all things considered,” Sexton said. “(But) there is always something that you can do to go faster. So for me, there are certainly some things that I hope to improve on before our next competition.”

Varga did his part in the 50 freestyle, placing first at 27.70, and later, taking fourth in the 100 breaststroke. Golgotiu, meanwhile, topped the field in the 100 breaststroke with a mark of 1:18.74; he also took second in the 400 freestyle with a time of 4:28.90.

West Linn also placed second in the 200 freestyle relay, with Sexton, Varga, sophomore Tye Luke and Golgotiu posting a time of 1:50.67.

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